


paint with all the colours of the wind

by kindlingchild



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Soulmate AU, Soulmate Colour AU, lets go kids, spoiler for 11/20, spoiler for max yusuke confidant rank, the one where they touch and suddenly they see colour, they deserve better, ya that one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-23
Updated: 2018-08-23
Packaged: 2019-07-01 11:51:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15773553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kindlingchild/pseuds/kindlingchild
Summary: His art was greyscale- it always had been.Yusuke had always been obsessed with the idea of colours, after not seeing it all his life, yet hearing so many tremendous things about it.But one touch with a boy he met on the street during his quest for beauty changed everything.And maybe, just maybe, it's less about the colours, and more about what comes with them.





	paint with all the colours of the wind

**Author's Note:**

> this has been sitting in my docs since may because i finished persona 5 then and wrote this on my finishing high so  
> enjoy!  
> not beta read because if we die we die like men, i rarely beta read my fics lolololol

 

His art was greyscale.

He did not know of the colours he used, and he had always dreamed of meeting his soulmate not so he could have a partner, but to see if his art was truly beautiful.

So the day when a beautiful girl walked past him, he thought he had seen it. 

Colour flickered in his eyes as he watched her walk by with her two male companions and he stumbled back, shocked by the sudden vibrancy in his vision.

He followed, of course— he would never give up the search for his soulmate. Colours were rumoured to be absolutely stunning, and Yusuke wanted to see if they truly were.

He chased her down, following her all throughout the train station, before finally she made her exit. 

Yusuke took the escalator up, the sun blinding him as he ascended. Watching her steps closely, he continued his pursuit, when suddenly two people stepped in front of him, blocking his path.

“Hey! What’s ya’ problem?” One of the people had short hair and seemed like a rough looking boy, no older than Yusuke himself. He donned the Shujin uniform, a school not far from Yusuke’s.

Yusuke ignored him first, turning to the other boy.

He started from his shoes.

The other person’s shoes were well-polished, and if Yusuke looked closely, he could see his reflection in the shiny leather.

The stranger’s pants were neat and ironed, and unmistakably from Shujin as well, with its checkered pattern. Yusuke was sure that to some extent, the Shujin uniform had some sort of colour, but he would have to wait to find out.

The blazer that the person wore lacked any flaws, not a wrinkle or a crease in sight. It was perfect.

Finally, Yusuke shifted his gaze to the person’s face.

Endless curls trickled down the sides of the person’s head, each strand seemingly having a specific position on the other’s head.

His jawline was not too sharp, but it was clearly there. His lips were soft-looking and not too thin, yet not too full either.

Large glasses framed the remainder of the person’s face— but that was not the most magical thing.

No, Yusuke knew immediately, that the most beautiful feature on this stranger was undoubtedly his eyes.

Even in his colourless vision, his eyes were absolutely  _ gorgeous. _

They sparkled with wonder, yet there seemed to be a sharpness behind his rounded, soft eyes. It gleamed and glowed beneath the hot Tokyo sun, and Yusuke never thought anything could ever look so extraordinary in grey— especially with it being the only colour he had ever known.

Things became mundane after prolonged exposure to Yusuke, but he would never get bored staring at the natural beauty of the masterpiece before him.

“Hey! I’m talkin’ to you, asshole!” The rough one grabbed Yusuke by the arm, and Yusuke flinched, pulling away from his firm grasp.

Yusuke turned his gaze to the original girl he sought after, but the other boy still lingered in the corner of his eye.

“Your beauty is simply magnificent,” he whispered softly, trying to focus his attention on the girl, but his gaze threatened to shift elsewhere, “Please, won’t you be a model for my next art piece?”

Both the rough boy and the pretty boy tilted their heads in confusion, and the girl narrowed her eyes at Yusuke, taking several slow steps backwards.

A sleek, long car pulled up on the road beside the sidewalk they stood on, and all four turned their attention to the mysterious car, when the backseat window rolled down. 

“Ah, I was wondering why you got out of the car,” Madarame smiled, “So this is where your passion led you. All is well, ends well.”

He laughed, and Yusuke relaxed at the sight of his mentor, a small smile forming on his own face.

“You’re… You’re Madarame’s pupil?” The rough boy stumbled back, pointing his index finger straight at Yusuke. The pretty one and the girl seemed intrigued as well, and Yusuke swore the other boy looked even more spectacular when he was curious.

“Yes, apologies for my lack of introduction,” Yusuke straightened his shirt, “I am Yusuke Kitagawa, and I attend Kosei High. Madarame is my mentor.”

All three now seemed to have incredulous looks on their face, and Yusuke raised an eyebrow. There wasn’t really anything odd about his sentence.

The girl and the rough boy looked towards the pretty one, who simply nodded. He extended a hand towards Yusuke, a small smile stretching across his face.

The sound of Madarame’s car driving off echoed beside them— he must have had an important meeting to attend to. Yusuke would see him back home.

“I’m Akira Kurusu, and these are my friends Ryuji Sakamoto and Ann Takamaki. Apologies for the bad first impression.”

His voice was equally as stunning as the rest of his features. Deep, but not too deep. Smooth yet raspy, kind with a hint of sternness. 

“No, it is quite alright. I suppose it was mainly my fault for following you all without warning.” 

Yusuke took his hand, and then there was light.

The light was white and bright, not an unfamiliar colour. It felt like an eternity as he stared into the vastness of the light, but eventually it began fading, and Yusuke stumbled back.

Slowly, odd and vibrant colours began to seep into his vision.

It started from Akira, the grey of his hair going a few shades darker to a musky black, the skin on his face fading from grey to a colour that Yusuke simply couldn’t find words to describe.

As the rest of his environment began to fill with colours, Yusuke found himself staring into Akira’s eyes.

Because, despite all he ever wanted happening all around him, despite the fact that he was  _ seeing  _ colour, was taking it in and experiencing its utter beauty at its full force, he could only focus on the grey of Akira’s eyes.

Grey was a colour Yusuke thought he would despise once he met his soulmate and finally saw the world in all of its blinding beauty.

But  _ grey _ seemed to be the most familiar to him at that moment, yet also seemed like a complete stranger.

The grey of Akira’s eyes were not quite what he was used to seeing, a simple light grey that painted the world dull. No— the grey of Akira’s eyes were slightly darker, and they sparkled with magnificence and elegance.

Stars of silent, fierce passion danced around in Akira’s eyes, and they shone brightly.

_ It was gorgeous. _

Akira stared back at Yusuke, seemingly too shocked to do anything.

“Hey, you two alright? You’ve been starin’ at each other for awhile now,” Ryuji called from the side, and Yusuke turned; that was when the full force of colour hit him.

Ryuji’s hair was bright and glaring, his eyes not so vibrant, but not grey or black either. He was ready to give up describing all the sensations he was experiencing— when all you’ve seen was grey, how were you supposed to describe anything else?

“Your mother said your hair was blonde right? Blonde is a bright colour,” Akira turned towards Ryuji, and his companions’ eyes went wide, “It… It suits you, Ryuji.”

Ryuji’s jaw dropped, glancing between the two boys. He raised a hand, pointing his index finger at Akira, and then at Yusuke, and then to their connected hands.

“You! I! What—” Ryuji blinked, pausing as he just stood and stared in shock.

Yusuke turned his gaze to Ann, who was exceedingly pretty in colour. She was indeed the perfect model material for his next art piece.

Yusuke smiled and turned back to Akira. He nearly flinched away— he’d never get used to his beauty. Even more so in colour. He could never use Akira as a model, for he feared that his painting would be terribly inferior to the actual model. Akira didn’t deserve that.

“Nice to meet you, Yusuke,” Akira smiled sheepishly, shaking their hands briefly before letting go, his touch lingering on the palm of Yusuke’s hand, and along his fingers.

“You… You too,” Yusuke, still in a daze, told Ann where to find him before walking off. 

“Good God,” he muttered under his breath the minute he couldn’t see them behind him anymore.

_ Akira was going to kill him. _

 

* * *

 

Slowly, he learnt.

Red was the colour of Joker’s gloves.

_ Red, red, red, red _ , he told himself as he listened to the explanation of the Palaces and the cognitive world. Joker had gripped Yusuke’s shoulders tightly as he calmed him, and the red of his gloves lingered in the corner of the artist’s eyes, seeping into his vision and enveloping his thoughts.

Blue was the colour of his own gloves.

_ Blue. Blue is the commonly believed opposite of red, but that is false, _ he told himself as he fought alongside Akira, breathing a sigh of relief at the realisation. There was a common saying that “opposites attract”, though Yusuke never believed such saying, so realising that they weren’t opposites was a large relief.

If Akira wasn’t actually his soulmate, he might lose his coloured vision. He had hoped for years to finally see in colour, so the thought of it disappearing  _ terrified _ him (but a repressed thought terrified him even further, despite what he wanted to believe).

Pink and white complimented each other, he learned as well.

_ Pink, gradient pink, bright white,  _ his thoughts echoed as he watched the corners of Akira’s lips curl upwards, his teeth just visible in the gap between his lips. His teeth were a little crooked and not the most sparkly, but they were perfect to Yusuke.

His lips looked soft and complimented his blinding smile.

“You have a beautiful smile,” Yusuke said as they stood in the crowded underground mall in Shibuya station, “I’ll have to paint it someday.”

Akira laughed, and his teeth flashed a bit more, and Yusuke captured the moment in his head. He labelled it “inspiration” for his next piece, but really it was more motivation than anything.

“Sure, just message me,” Akira’s eyes always crinkled when he laughed, and Yusuke just saw it as another one of Akira’s stunning features. 

_ It is no use, _ Yusuke thought as he watched Akira mimic his usual action of people watching, a smile forming on his own lips,  _ I’ll never capture his beauty. _

 

* * *

 

There’s a split second when everything goes grey again.

Akira was held up in jail being interrogated, and their plan was rightfully in place. Morgana seemed confident that it would work— everybody did— but Yusuke was terrified.

There was no gradual fade, no slow transition from colour to grey. In a second, all the colour he had finally grown used to seeing vanished.

He crumbled to the floor, tears instantly leaking out of his eyes. 

The others turn their attention to him, and their murmurs of concern or questions born from worry don’t completely reach his ears.

_ He’s gone. Akira’s gone. _

His face flashed brightly in Yusuke mind. His smile was brilliant.

_ I’ll never get to paint his smile. _

It stayed like that for a few moments— an eternity, to Yusuke, really.

But suddenly, his vision flickered, and spots of red appeared within the cafe’s attic.

Random objects in the cafe began to flicker back to life, colour filling their dreaded grey spaces. Yusuke found a smile stretching across his lips as he exhaled deeply.

Akira would never do that.

Yusuke paused, glancing out the window of the attic. 

“Is he back? What happened?” He heard Makoto say behind him, and that was when it hit him.

“The colours,” he stood abruptly, shocking the rest of the room. He turned swiftly, a fierce look sparkling in his blue eyes.

“The colours mean nothing without Akira,” Yusuke walked over to Ryuji, grabbing the other by the shoulders, “I was never afraid of losing the colour. I was afraid of losing  _ Akira.” _

Ryuji blinked, raising an eyebrow. Yusuke didn’t care. All he cared about at that moment was grey.

“Losing colour means losing Akira,” Yusuke shook Ryuji back and forth, the rest of the room keeping silent, _ “I can’t lose Akira.” _

Ryuji’s face softened, and he pulled a packet of tissue from out of his back pocket.

“Wipe your tears, you smitten shit,” Ryuji smiled, and Yusuke stumbled back, raising a hand to his cheeks. 

They were damp.

 

* * *

 

Of course, it was raining. 

It was raining, and three in the morning, but Yusuke still threw sticks and twigs at Akira’s window without hesitation. 

His royal blue hair was more of a navy blue from the rain and the lack of an umbrella. He had rushed out of his dorms the minute he made the decision to come see Akira, only grabbing a small set of pencils and his sketchbook on the way out. 

The weather meant nothing to Yusuke.

He stood and waited, hope and passion fueling his exhausted bones, and smiled brightly as the window creaked open and Akira looked out with half-lidded eyes.

“Good morning Akira!” Yusuke called, gripping his sketchbook tightly in his hands, “I got a sudden burst of inspiration and I would like to request for your company!”

Akira smiled, seemingly more awake now, and he gave Yusuke a thumbs up and closing the window.

Moments later, Akira ran out the front door of Leblanc, an umbrella in hand. He dashed over to Yusuke’s side, letting out a disgruntled sigh as he looked at Yusuke.

“You’re gonna get sick like that, Yusuke,” he pulled a tissue from out of his pocket, and he gently wiped Yusuke’s forehead.

Yusuke’s forehead tingled at Akira’s touch, but all the artist could focus on was Akira’s gorgeous grey eyes.

_ Grey, grey, grey, grey. _

He smiled at Akira, who was shaking his head in exasperation.

“Take care of yourself, please?” Akira laughed, lifting a hand to Yusuke’s cheek and running his thumb over Yusuke’s cheekbone, “I don’t want to lose my soulmate before I even get the chance to say how I feel.”

_ Grey is a beautiful colour. _

“How do you feel?” Yusuke blinked owlishly, and Akira flushed a hazy pink that crept up from his neck to his ears.

Akira used his free hand to adjust his glasses and move a stray hair out of his face, before gazing at Yusuke.

_ There’s something so comforting in grey. _

Akira tucked Yusuke’s hair neatly behind his ear. 

“Blue is a beautiful colour,” Akira smiled, and  _ god, Yusuke would never capture it,  _ “I’m… I’m glad it was you.”

“Grey is charming as well,” Yusuke laughed softly, “Do not sell yourself short like that.”

Akira laughed loudly, teeth showing as his eyes crinkled up, and it was so, undeniably, warm.

Yusuke wanted to bask in it forever.

“Can we try?” Akira leaned closer, bumping their foreheads together— the sound of the rain falling around them their only accompaniment, “I feel like you and I would be a good pair.”

“The universe certainly seems to think so,” Yusuke rubbed their noses gently together, making Akira giggle softly, “I personally don’t object.”

“Great,” Akira grinned, and suddenly an arm wrapped around Yusuke’s neck, and lips were sliding in place with his.

Akira’s lips were warm and soft, and Yusuke smiled against the kiss.

_ Maybe I can attempt to capture the essence of his smile, instead of his actual smile. _

Akira pulled away, breathless with the same hazy pink dusted over his cheeks, and a gentle smile on his face.

_ Lord, _ how he was glad he could see colours. Akira looked magnificent with the pink over his cheeks.

_ Yes, the essence it shall be. _

 

* * *

 

“This light,” Yusuke pointed to the explosion of white in the centre of the black and red mess, “This light is all of you.”

Akira squeezed Yusuke’s hand, and Yusuke turned to him. Akira gazed at the painting in awe. The golden walls of the museum reflected a soft glow onto Akira’s porcelain skin, lighting him up perfectly.

“It’s beautiful Yusuke, but why didn’t you use more colours?” Akira looked back at Yusuke, tilting his head in confusion, “You can see them now, what’s holding you back?”

Yusuke chuckled, leaning forward and pressing a gentle kiss to Akira’s forehead.

“I want those who haven’t discovered their soulmates to understand as well,” Yusuke watched as people gathered around his painting, all equally intrigued by it, “And when they do find their soulmate, they’ll realise that while colour is beautiful, it is important to be grateful for the grey that they lived their lives in before.”

“But why?” asked Akira, looking away from Yusuke, “The other colours are pretty too.”

Yusuke smiled, raising his free hand to Akira’s cheek and gently nudging Akira’s head to face him.

He stared into Akira’s eyes. 

Sure, when he first discovered colours, he hated grey. He despised it for capturing his life in its dullness, and he basked in the vibrancy that these newfound colours brought him.

But he was always brought back to grey— to the grey undertones and lay in Akira’s untamable hair, the grey in Akira’s uniform, the grey of Joker’s stylish Phantom Thief outfit, the mesmerising grey of Akira’s eyes.

Pressing a kiss to Akira’s lips, he pulled back with a soft laugh.

“Because you cannot run from what will always be there.”

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> tumblr: umbraxstaff  
> thanks for reading yall


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